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 This two part story is the eleventh, and final, story of Season Thirty Four (New Series 8). It has been written by show runner and head writer Steven Moffat and is the first two-part story since the 2011 Eleventh Doctor story "The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People". It saw the return of the Cybermen and The Master - the Twelfth Doctor's first encounter with both of these foes.
This story guest stars Samuel Anderson, Michelle Gomez, Chris Addison, Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
Actress Michelle Gomez, who plays the part of Missy, is best known for her roles in the comedy shows Green Wing, The Book Group and Bad Education. Executive Producer Steven Moffat has stated 'I've known Michelle for years, and I'm thrilled to welcome her to Doctor Who. She's everything we need - brilliant, Scottish, and a tiny bit satanic'.
Sanjeev Bhaskar, who plays the part of Colonel Ahmed, is a popular comedian, actor and broadcaster and is best known for his work on the BBC Two sketch show Goodness Gracious Me. Speaking about the role Bhaskar Sanjeev revealed: 'I’m thrilled to have made a small contribution to and now be part of the Doctor Who universe. Another dream box ticked!'. Executive Producer Steven Moffat has stated 'I'm completely thrilled that Sanjeev Bhaskar is coming to the aid of The Doctor. The danger is never deadlier than in a finale episode, and the Time Lord is going to need all the help he can get...
Ingrid Oliver and Jemma Redgrave are both reprising their roles as Osgood and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart that they last played in the 2013 Eleventh Doctor story "The Day of The Doctor".
This story has been directed by Rachel Talalay. This is her first Doctor Who story. Her previous credits include the 1995 movie Tank Girl as well as television shows in both the UK and US, including episodes of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Ally McBeal and Stephen King's Dead Zone.
The read through for both parts of this story took place on the 12th June 2014 with recording beginning on the 16th June. Locations for this story included Cardiff, Pontypool and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Parts of the recording of "Dark Water" overlapped with the recording of "Death in Heaven". This included the scenes where UNIT surrounds Missy which were shot before the moments showing the Cybermen streaming out of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The main recording for the finale concluded on the 21st July 2014. Even though this is the final story of Season Thirty Four (New Series 8) the preceding story "Forest of the Night" was recorded shortly afterwards.
When filming the climax of episode 1, "Dark Water", where it is revealed that Missy is The Master, Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez mouthed their lines to hide the reveal from spectators watching the filming.
While masquerading as The Doctor, to try and convince the Cybermen that she is The Doctor, Clara claims many things from The Doctor's past. These include; Noting that among his family is a non-Gallifreyan daughter created via genetic transfer (see the 2008 Eleventh Doctor story "The Doctor's Daughter"); Clara mentions The Doctor has been married four times. He was married to Elizabeth I, Marilyn Monroe and River Song (see" The Day of The Doctor", "A Christmas Carol" and "The Wedding of River Song"); Clara mentions The Doctor having children and grandchildren, which would presumably include Susan Foreman though she indicates them to be missing, presumed dead. Clara says The Doctor graduated in Glasgow in the wrong century. In the 1967 Second Doctor story "The Moonbase" The Doctor’s companion Polly Wright revealed that he once claimed to have taken his degree in Glasgow in 1888; Clara states that The Doctor is from the constellation of Kasterborous (see "Pyramids of Mars"), was a Prydonian (see "The Deadly Assassin") and that this status was lost when he stole the TARDIS from Gallifrey.
During the scene where Clara claims that she is The Doctor she is heard to say ‘My Prydonian privileges were revoked when I stole a time capsule…’. During his time on Gallifrey, The Doctor belonged to the Prydonian Chapter, one of several chapters on his home planet. According to the villainous Goth, Prydonians were not devious, but ‘simply see a little further ahead than most’.
The reference to a ‘non-Gallifreyan daughter created via genetic transfer ’ is a reference to Jenny from "The Doctor’s Daughter". No indication is given regarding her presumed status.
This is the second time that Clara uses the identity of The Doctor. Previously this occurred in "Flatline" when The Doctor was trapped inside the TARDIS.
Tying in with Clara’s pre-titles claim of ‘I’m The Doctor!’ in the opening credits sequence the credits for Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi are switched (with Jenna Coleman's name appearing first) and an image of Clara's eyes replacing those of the Twelfth Doctor. This gives the appearance that Clara is indeed The Doctor, though this is later established as untrue.
This is the first and, to date, only story where the name of the actor playing The Doctor is not the first name to appear in the title sequence. This is also only the second story to feature the face of someone other than The Doctor in the title sequence, the first being the 1996 Eighth Doctor film "Doctor Who: The Movie" which featured the eyes of The Master as he is exterminated by the Daleks.
When The Doctor shows up to meet her two weeks late, Clara says he's improving (see "Into the Dalek").
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is heard to say that The Doctor is still ‘on the payroll’ (see "Spearhead From Space" and "The Day of The Doctor"). The Doctor seems surprised, possibly because in the 1970 Third Doctor story "Spearhead From Space", when The Brigadier secures The Doctor’s services on behalf of UNIT, he was given a financial incentive but rebuffed the offer: ‘Money? My dear chap, I don’t want money. I’ve got no use for the stuff!’ Instead The Doctor simply wanted facilities to repair his TARDIS… and a car!
The Doctor gives a reason as to why he does not like hugging, something to which he was previously against in his current incarnation (see "Deep Breath" and "Listen").
When Clara is trying to make Danny Pink say something 'only Danny would know', to convince her that he is genuine and not a computer program, she asks him for her birthday. He is replies saying that it is the 23rd November. This date is also Doctor Who’s birthday and the very first story of the show "An Unearthly Child" was broadcast on the 23rd November 1963. Clara's birth date was previously seen on her gravestone in the 2012 Christmas special "The Snowmen".
In Clara's flat, there are numerous post-it notes with references to Clara's travels with The Doctor, including:
In addition there were many post-it notes about Clara telling the truth to Danny ("In the Forest of the Night") and mention of the Hyperscape Body Swap Ticket used to get Clara and the Eleventh Doctor into Doctor Who at the Proms in 2013.
Discounting the sticky note references to the Paternoster Gang, who Clara had also encountered in Season Thirty Three (New Series 7), and one reading 'Impossible Girl' (which was a plot element in "Deep Breath"), the note regarding the Hyperscape Body Swap Ticket is the only element of the Eleventh Doctor era visible on Clara's notes, though the camera does not focus in on all the sticky notes.
There is a black and white photo on Clara's bookshelf of her and her father (see the 2013 Eleventh Doctor story "The Rings of Akhaten").
Clara tries to use a mood patch to put The Doctor to sleep (see the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Gridlock").
In order to save her life, Clara tells the Cyberman she has important information and if kept, alive, she is a tactical advantage to them. Rose Tyler used a similar argument to save her, Mickey Smith and Rajesh Singh from the Daleks in 2006 Tenth Doctor story "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday". Osgood later tries to use this strategy to save herself from Missy.
This story finally identifies Missy, who was previously mostly seen at the end of previous stories usually interacting with a character who just died and arrived in the Nethersphere, such as the Half-Face Man from "Deep Breath". This is the first time where The Doctor, Clara, and Missy interact directly.
Towards the end of the first episode, Missy reveals her true identity as to be The Master. This climax was removed from all preview copies of the episode and the actors involved recorded their lines in Automated Dialogue Replacement to hide the reveal from spectators.
At a Royal Television Society event, Steven Moffat revealed that a decoy version of Missy's reveal was also shot: 'You know who I am. I’m Missy. Or, if you’d prefer, Random Access Neural Integrator - RANI for short'.
The Master first appeared in 1971 and became a kind of Moriarty to The Doctor’s Sherlock Holmes. Although they are usually (but not always) on opposing sides, the two characters have a grudging respect for each other, possibly best summed up by The Doctor who described The Master as his ‘best enemy’. They were friends on Gallifrey before they both left their home world and perhaps elements of this friendship still linger. In the 20th anniversary special, "The Five Doctors", The Master mused ‘A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about’.
At first Missy responds to The Doctor's question, as to who she is, with ‘I am Missy… Mobile Intelligent Systems Interface’. This is a typical ploy of The Doctor’s old enemy. The Master employed countless disguises during his previous escapades and has masqueraded as a 13th century nobleman, a telephone engineer, a Colonel, a Cambridge professor and, in the 1971 Third Doctor story "The Dæmons", the local vicar in a village called Devil’s End!
This is the first televised story to feature a Time Lord who has changed gender. This practice had, unambiguously, appeared in other mediums and The Doctor previously knew of at least one other Time Lord who changed gender - the Corsair (see "The Doctor's Wife"). The Doctor momentarily thought himself a female upon regeneration due to his long hair in "The End of Time" and was offered an artificially induced female regeneration at the end of his eighth incarnation ("The Night of The Doctor"). Notably, the only times The Doctor has indicated that he may change genders has been when he was about to regenerate or recovering from regeneration, both of which are states in which his rationality is visibly diminished.
This story marks the first use of the term ‘Time Lady’ since the show was revived in 2005.
A female incarnation of The Master was previously mentioned to be among his various incarnations who were captured by the Sild (see the BBC Books' The Past Doctors Stories novel "Harvest of Time").
This story features various references to previous stories featuring The Master. Osgood refers to previous incidents on Earth featuring The Master, including his tenure as Prime Minister in the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords". When boarding the airbase, The Doctor believes that he is going to the Valiant, an airborne aircraft carrier built by The Master in "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords".
Missy tells The Doctor ‘Nice planet, this. Think I might keep it’. Missy previously told the Half-Face Man that she liked The Doctor's new accent and thought she might keep it (see "Deep Breath").
Missy is heard using the phrase ‘Oh, my giddy aunt…’. This phrase is closely associated with the Second Doctor. When she announces ‘I love the telly here!’ we’re reminded of occasions in the 1972 Third Doctor story "The Sea Devils" and in "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords" The Master is seen to briefly enjoy watching children's television. Finally, the way she says, ‘Happy birthday, Mr President!’ is a reference to Marilyn Monroe’s famous birthday greeting to President John F Kennedy.
Missy reveals that she was the 'woman in the shop' from whom Clara received The Doctor's phone number for Wi-Fi support ("The Bells of Saint John), as well as being the one that left the hint in a newspaper which led Clara and The Doctor to ending up in the hideout of the Clockwork Droids ("Deep Breath").
Osgood notes that UNIT has files on all ex-Prime Ministers in reference to The Master's previous incursion, commenting ‘she wasn't even the worst’ (see "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords").
Osgood, UNITs scientist, continues her habit of sporting clothes as a tribute to The Doctor's Tenth and Eleventh incarnations. In "The Day of The Doctor" it was a multi-coloured scarf and now she wears a pair of trainers similar to the Tenth Doctor and a bow tie that brings to mind the Eleventh Doctor’s neckwear. She is also heard to state that ‘Bow ties are cool’, a catchphrase frequently used by the Eleventh Doctor.
During this story The Doctor offers to take Osgood with him as a companion, but Missy kills her before he can make good on this promise. This is not the first time someone was offered the chance to become a companion but died before they could take up the offer. Other untimely invitees have included: Lynda Moss ("Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways"), Madame de Pompadour ("The Girl in the Fireplace"), Astrid Peth ("Voyage of the Damned") and Rita ("The God Complex").The Doctor also offered Jenny, his daughter created via genetic transfer, to become his companion in "The Doctor's Daughter").
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is UNIT’s Chief Scientific Advisor and the daughter of The Doctor’s old friend, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (AKA The Brigadier). She first appeared in the 2012 Eleventh Doctor story "The Power of Three". Like Osgood, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was last seen during "The Day of The Doctor".
When Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is heard to say to The Doctor on meeting Clara, ‘Clara Oswald? Your assistant?’ The Doctor’s response is a swift, ‘My friend’. It is interesting to contrast The Doctor's reply with his dialogue in "Into the Dalek" where he is heard to say ‘This is Clara, not my assistant. She's… some other word’. Moments later he added she was his ‘carer’ before noting, ‘She cares so I don't have to’.
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart mentions the Valiant, the huge flying aircraft carrier that was designed by The Master. It first appeared in "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords". A brief glimpse of the Valiant was also seen when it appeared in a flashback during "Into the Dalek".
This story allowed the show to again pay homage to the late Nicholas Courtney, with his character, The Brigadier, appearing as a Cyberman. This was the first televised Doctor Who appearance of The Brigadier since the 1989 Seventh Doctor story "Battlefield". Nicholas Courtney has though appeared in various audios and The Sarah Jane Adventures in the intervening time period.
The Doctor is seen saluting the Cyber-converted Brigadier. He also twice saluted The Brigadier's daughter, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart ("The Power of Three" and "The Day of The Doctor"). This is despite The Doctor hating it when people salute him.
Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor appears for a second time since his regeneration in "The Time of The Doctor" in archive footage from "The Bells of Saint John". He last appeared in "Deep Breath".
This story features the return of Clara’s gran, the woman who tries to comfort her after Danny’s death. Last seen in the 2013 Eleventh Doctor story "The Time of The Doctor" this character is again played by Sheila Reid. Sheila Reid also previously appeared in the 1985 Sixth Doctor story "Vengeance on Varos".
The Doctor continues to refer to Danny Pink as ‘P.E.’. However, by the end of this story he states that he might yet make being a Maths teacher.
We finally learn what Danny Pink's 'bad day' was that forced him out of the army (Kill the Moon").
Danny’s body is kept in the Chaplet Funeral Home. The name of the establishment is a possible nod to the First Doctor’s companion, Dodo Chaplet, who entered the TARDIS at the end of the 1966 First Doctor story "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve", before deciding to leave during "The War Machines". "The War Machines" was the first Doctor Who story to show an invasion set in contemporary London.
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The Firsts:
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Rachel Talalay.
Michelle Gomez's first full story as Missy (AKA The Master).
The Twelfth Doctor's first encounter with the Cybermen and The Master.
The first televised story to feature a Time Lord who has changed gender.
The first use of the term ‘Time Lady’ since the show was revived in 2005.
The first story where the name of the actor playing The Doctor is not the first name to appear in the title sequence.
The first story to show a scene during the end credits.
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(Position = 3 out of 12)
